Launceston ended last season somewhat devoid of answers come finals time in the pursuit of back-to-back TSLW premierships.
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The inaugural state winners slipped meekly to third.
There was no shame in the performance, but five losses in 16 games compared to the two in 2017 felt like a fail.
"Like any team after winning the flag the year before, you go into the season without many changes from our premiership squad," first-year Blues coach but club veteran Angela Dickson said after a 21.18 144-to-nil win over Lauderdale on Sunday.
"We had expectations that we thought we'd go okay again, but unfortunately injuries in round 1 and a couple more later in the year goes to show nothing is certain.
"That's why I think finishing third last year is what has driven us now that it's not okay just to be good and it's not good enough for us to rely on two or three players - we all have to be at a higher standard in a good level."
Every week without fail.
"We've gone through at this stage undefeated, though we had a scare last week, which was good," Dickson said.
"I'm really lucky the girls continually want more. It's not just enough for us to win.
"We want to hit our kicks, we want to make sure we tackle hard, we want to make sure we put in those one percenters rather than just winning the game. That's just what drives our group."
That is the attitude the Blues took into the clash with a hapless Lauderdale.
More so when the Southern Bombers had to work out ways to stop Daria Bannister.
The Kangaroos AFLW gun kicked six goals for the visitors, Lauren Stevenson three and the coach another three.
Dickson felt the game was a good opportunity to test players in unfamiliar roles.
"We gave our young guns a bit of time on the ball to get used to that physicality to see where each girl is at and it worked out well," she said.
Andrew Mathieson
The day I realised I wasn't good enough to play for St Kilda or be the No.1 spinner for Australia was when I realised journalism was the closest I could come to follow my passion for sport. And it's not just about the scores for me. It's the back story behind the game.
The day I realised I wasn't good enough to play for St Kilda or be the No.1 spinner for Australia was when I realised journalism was the closest I could come to follow my passion for sport. And it's not just about the scores for me. It's the back story behind the game.
